50 Words
by Espurrcat
Summary: 50 Words: A collection of 50 unrelated, one-shot challenges each based off of an individual word. HieixBotan. Chapter 8: Submission. Upped rating to 'M', just to be on the safe side.
1. Magic

**Obligatory disclaimer**: I absolutely do not own Yu-Yu-Hakusho, its characters, etc. etc. I only own a fierce love of it and them!

_**AN**_: Wow, I feel like I'm coming back from the dead after such a long hiatus of writing! Ahem. Excuse me if I'm rusty. I actually had this document saved _years_ ago when I found this 50-word prompt from another fandom and inspiration struck SUPER RANDOMLY this morning, so here we go! Some of these have already been written, some I've finished just today, some I'll hopefully finish soon! I haven't been in the YYH fandom for a while, so I'm terribly sorry for any weird discrepancies. If you catch me incorrect in something, please let me know! I'm kind of using these shorties as a tool to slowly get me back into one-shots and other stuff for Fairy Tail and other fandoms, but maybe my YYH inspiration will stick around if these don't turn out too horribly. I'm not sure how frequently I'll update; hopefully at least once a week, maybe even daily! Anyway enough blabbering, here's the first one!~ It's tame compared to some of the rest. ; )

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_**1. Magic**_

Hiei thinks she must possess some sort of magic, some kind of Spirit World sorcery, because when she turns those luminous electric-pink eyes on him, he can't look away, and shouldn't he be able to? Yes, she must be hiding some secret enchantment power because when she notices him watching her, her lips curve ever so slightly at the corners, giving her eyes a feline-esque slant, and Hiei's throat constricts and his mouth goes very dry.

And when those coral lips of hers open to grace his ears with his name, Hiei _knows _for certain she has an enchanting magic and it is strong, for at that moment his name is uttered, he feels more calm and at ease than he ever had been. He feels all she has to do is ask, and he'd gladly traverse through Hell to give her whatever her heart desired.

But, luckily for the demon, Yusuke saves his poor enthralled soul, sauntering over to Botan with a lecherous grin plastered on his face. She turns with a questioning look and Hiei almost breathes a sigh of relief as her gaze releases him. Yusuke leans in close to the girl's ear and whispers something that Hiei doesn't quite catch, but he does notice the cupping motion Yusuke makes with both hands near his chest.

Instantly, her cheeks fill with a pink blush Hiei finds rather attractive, and he worries her magic may be at work again, but the spell is broken when she swipes at Yusuke's face with an outstretched hand and screams, "Excuse you, Yusuke Urameshi?! No, I absolutely will _not _tell you my cup size and how very _dare _you try to frame poor Kuwabara!"

And the demon takes this opportunity to swiftly take his leave, and yet even when he has moved himself what he deems a safe distance away from her presence, the ferry girl's voice still haunts his mind, whispering his name like a siren's song.

"Damn magic."


	2. Lubricant

**_2. Lubricant_**

A shadow looms over his hunched form, blocking out the rays from the afternoon's sun. He doesn't need to turn around to know it's her; he can smell that particular scent he's come to associate with her essence: jasmine, a hint of vanilla, and the wind.

"So...how's it coming along?" The tone is slightly hesitant, but he can detect the underlying laughter laced in her voice and the fire demon has to bite down on his lip to prevent the snarl in his chest from erupting. _She_, of all people, was laughing at _him?_

Without bothering to turn around, he merely grunts out as short a response as possible. "The stupid thing won't open."

This time the laughter is definitely audible, in the form of a stifled giggle. He swears a vein in his temple has popped as he turns his head with a glare to grind out, _"_And just _what_ is so funny, ferry girl?" Instead of answering straightaway (wouldn't she have when they first met? and damn, she didn't even look phased by his tone - his absences must have been dulling his ability to instill terror in her), she moves over to the other side of the accursed contraption he was working on and kneels down to his level, poking at the machine curiously.

"I don't mean to laugh", and he can't help but cock an eyebrow at this, "but really, Hiei, you got yourself into this position what with your stubbornness and all!" His brow immediately shoots back down, curving down to mirror the sneer his lips were forming.

"What do you know, idiot woman?" he snarls, and to his chagrin, she merely giggles instead of running away in terror. And what annoys him even further is that he finds her laughter doesn't quite grate on his nerves like it used to. It's even slightly pleasant.

"I know if you weren't so stubborn, you wouldn't have accepted a bet with Yusuke, because really, who in their right mind _would_, and I know anyone less stubborn wouldn't have accepted a bet to play video games against the _Master_, Genkai, herself." All thoughts about her remotely resembling anything nice quickly fled from his mind.

"I didn't know the stipulations of this idiotic bet beforehand! I wasn't given all of the information!" The fire demon bites out, smacking the flat of his sword, which was previously wedged between a leg of the pinball machine and its side, against the ground, instead wishing he could smack it upside this infuriating girl's head.

She seems utterly unfazed, her hands working at a piece on the bottom of the machine (something Hiei couldn't figure out and had dubbed "stupid piece of shit"), her voice level and calm as if she weren't talking to an angered demon that had slain countless stronger than herself before. "And that is exactly my point, Hiei. If you weren't so mulish, you might not have accepted a bet in which you didn't have all the info -" she chances looking up, deciding not to continue as his gaze seems to be attempting to set her on fire.

"Yes, well, anyway. What's done is done, and I'm here to help!" Botan chirrups, and Hiei snorts.

"Hn, as if _you_ could succeed in anything _I_ have not." The bluenette merely smiles at him, continuing to fiddle with Stupid Piece of Shit.

"So, this pinball machine is no longer correctly reading the levels of spiritual power of the player and all Genkai wants is for you to open it up so she can fix it, right?" He merely affixes her with an icy stare, a huge contrast from the "burn, burn, why aren't you _burning?!"_ one earlier. Heedless, she continues on. "Geez, I'm quite honestly surprised you haven't sliced the thing into itty bitty pieces yet. I'm impressed, Hiei!"

He rolls his eyes at that one, albeit also secretly surprised at himself. "Idiot. Wouldn't breaking this damned thing defeat the purpose of Genkai wanting me to open it so she can _fix_ it?"

The ferry girl looks momentarily surprised, until she gives him another of her megawatt smiles. "That's very thoughtful of you. I didn't know you cared about Genkai's feelings!"

For the second time that day, he snorts at her, and she can't help but find it the teensiest bit cute, coming from someone trying to be so threatening. "I _don't_. I merely respect the old hag, is all, and I honor contracts between people I respect."

"A bet isn't exactly a contract, Hiei...and people break them all the time..."

"_Humans_ do", he sneers at her, and they both fall silent for a time. He almost feels regretful at the defeated look on her normally cheerful face, until she looks up at him with a look that's almost condescending. She points at Stupid Piece of Shit.

"Well, I wasn't going to tell you before, but seeing as how long you've been out here, I almost feel kinda bad! All you need to do to open the bottom of this is get this lever working. It's old though, so it's stuck, see?" She demonstrates by jiggling it gently. "You did know how to open this, right?"

"Yes", he lies with a frown and swiftly makes his way to her side, pushing at her hand impatiently.

"Stop your useless motions woman and let me do it", he says while forcefully pushing at the lever.

"No no no! Not like that! You'll _break _it!" Botan cries, jumping back to push his hands away. The two are dangerously close and yet neither take notice as their hands war against one another and their sides press together in their bid to stop the other from even touching the lever. They also fail to take notice of Yusuke, wondering if perhaps Hiei may have murdered Botan for inquiring on his progress, sneaking up behind the two, watching in bemusement as the pair growled and pushed at each other like a couple of feral animals over a piece of meat.

"I know what I'm doing, woman! Leave me alone and go pester someone else!"

"You clearly do _not_ know what you're doing, mister grumpy pants, or else you'd have been done by now! And stop _pushing _at it so rough! It's old and needs lubrication!"

"Lubrication my ass! Stop nagging and let me do my work!"

"Well I wouldn't have to do your work for you if you weren't so damned _stubborn_ and you did it my way!"

At this, Yusuke's smirk dissolves into a look of confusion, and he begins to slowly back away as each of his friends' comments and actions turn weirder and weirder. The last thing he hears before he dashes back to the temple as quickly as possible is Botan shrieking,

"Stop being so rough, Hiei! We need a _LUBRICANT!"_

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_Thanks so much to my anonymous reviewer! As is with many authors, any feedback is most welcome to me! If you're enjoying my work so far and don't want to drop a line, a follow or fav works just as well to let me know someone's enjoying!~ ^.^  
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	3. Lemon

_**AN: **_Had an idea for a fun AU for this prompt, so here we go! Keep in mind this one is a little raunchier than the previous installments! I don't think it warrants a higher rating (yet), but thought I'd warn those of you with a more innocent palate. ; )

_**3. Lemon**_

A feral-looking man covered in blue tattoos has his back turned towards the cameras, a wild mane of black hair cascading down his shoulders. The strange man stays like this for a few dramatic pauses until he turns, with a serious look on his face.

"Load up Puu, let's go back home." He says, his look of seriousness melting into a gentle smile that crinkles his eyes. His companions look relieved, at least the ones that were conscious. A tall ginger-headed fellow gasps and his face breaks into a joyous grin, while an even taller man with fox ears and long silver hair and a young, regal-looking prince simply give knowing smiles.

The man with the orange hair makes a show of putting his hands to his hips and laughing robustly after a few moments of excited chatter between the group, before a slightly haughty voice cuts through the noise.

"And cut! That's a wrap people, good job, good job. Except for you, yes you!" the owner of said voice pointed towards the princely man, who neatly stepped to the side, revealing another, much smaller in stature, with hair jet as the winter sky at midnight, a very sour look residing on his face.

An almost visible wave of discomfort rippled through this cast of ragtag people as the director saunters up to the subject of his disappointment, and the two ladies that were previously lying prone and 'unconscious' on the ground nearby quickly scampered up and away from what everyone was sure to turn into another vicious shouting match.

"Hiei, Hiei, Hiei." He began, and the woman with blue hair noted bemusedly that her cast mate's hand twitched towards the sword resting at his right hip, never mind the fact it was just a prop. "You've _got _to look more lively! This is the beginning of a new season and it's your chance to really start building up your fanbase! Seize control of the cameras; conquer them like Kurama and Yusuke do!"

"Hn. You're far too dramatic, leave me alone." Came the reply with a barely-suppressed eye roll.

It continued on like this for a good while as the rest of the group started to disperse and pack up their things, minus the blue-haired beauty Botan, who lingered a little while longer to see if the culmination of the argument would happen any time soon. She, too, almost began to head out before...

"Look, Hiei. All I'm trying to do is _help _you, as an _artist_! I'm trying to inspire you to harness the full potential of your acting magic! Can't you just work with me a little bit here?" Hiei snarled much like his character would have before starting to shove past his boss, clearly done with the whole farce.

The director stamped his foot petulantly. "Don't you walk away from me! I OWN you! _I _made you who you are today, _I _gave you fame!" Botan had seriously expected the normally hyper-feisty man to have turned around and relented in yet another of the same arguments by now, and was quite impressed when it seemed he was allowing the insults to roll off his back like water.

"I wasn't going to bring it up, but you've forced my hand! Eight out of ten viewers agree that Kuwabara is a more popular character than you are, Hiei!"

Roll those insults did...except that last one. Hiei made a hard stop in his tracks, turned, and marched back over so quickly, Botan would have sworn he was nothing more than a flying shadow. The director swallowed past a lump suddenly forming in his throat, somehow seemingly cowering beneath his 'subordinate' who had to have been easily an entire foot shorter.

"Do _you _think Kuwabara is a better actor than I am?"

"W-well..." Nervous hands tugged at a collar.

"Answer. The. Question." Hiei growled between grated teeth.

"I-I-I wasn't saying exactly that, b-but the viewers can't be wrong! And, I suppose I do think he has a lot more passion for his work, and most importantly he also listens to directions quite we-"

"_Fuck _you."

With that, the shadow stalked off, a veritable aura of wrath sparking around his body. Botan barely concealed an impish smile behind her hand as she passed by her boss, running to catch up with the fired-up cast mate.

She gently grabbed his shoulder, jumping back a bit when he shrugged it off harshly and started to downright _growl _at her like his character so often did in the show (which admittedly always turned her on just a bit).When he realized who was following him, however, the expression softened just a bit, into one of idle curiosity (while being careful to not look _too _interested).

"Well, sorry to have witnessed your guys' little pissing match," to which she received a snort, "but the rest of the gang has already headed over to the pub and I wanted to stick around to extend an invite."

Hiei began to decline, but the look in those vibrant eyes was decidedly and curiously hopeful, so he managed an acquiescent nod and "Hn." Plus, he could really use a drink or five, he reasoned.

The pair went to change in the locker rooms, arriving at the pub in short time and Kuwabara, the goofy red-head, energetically waved them over. "We saved some spots and ordered ahead for ya guys!" Hiei studiously ignored the open spot next to him and sat to Yusuke's left across the table, inwardly pleased when Botan took his other side, sandwiching him between the two.

All in all, many drinks were shared and the rest of the night was proceeding calmly and happily.

His old friend Kurama (who had by then discarded the silver wig and fox ears that drove the female fans crazy and went back to sporting his own red and naturally luscious locks) and the newer addition to the show, 'Prince' Koenma (an older version of a literal toddler-character Hiei found extremely demeaning working with) were engrossed in a serious conversation about things Hiei himself found little interest for. Yusuke's girlfriend was chatting with the oaf's sister, while said oaf was trying to no avail to flirt with the other blue-haired cast member. Botan occasionally interjected into other people's conversations, but was otherwise unusually demure, he noted with several sneaky, stolen glances her way throughout the night.

The other usually boisterous co-worker of his, Yusuke, (who had also forgone his 'demon' wig and sported his slick-backed 90's punk-kid cut) had also been quite reserved, appearing to have been totally absorbed in something he was reading on his tablet (to which Hiei figured couldn't have been anything other than UFC match results or something of that nature.)

"Oh, Kami-sama..." Came a strained whisper from Yusuke's lips. Licking them in an almost predatory manner, he slowly turned to the pair sitting next to him.

"What is it, Yusuke?" Botan inquired, scooting closer to Hiei to better hear, close enough so that the scent of her flowered perfume invaded his already intoxicated senses.

A slow grin formed on Yusuke's face, slanting his eyes in the most impish of ways. "I don't know if either of you have heard of this website, 'Fanfiction dot net', but I have a feeling you guys are gonna be quite interested in what I just found..."

Glowering, Hiei snatched Yusuke's tablet from his hands, a sinking feeling present in his stomach though he had no idea why. The feeling was quite odd, mixing with the fluttering he had been feeling earlier as Botan had positioned herself so close to Hiei now that his arm was practically encased by her ample bosom. He shook his head to clear it and began to read out loud the description of the text Yusuke had highlighted.

"'A one-shot HieixBotan lemon set after the show's fourth season, highlighting a sexy moment between the two. Smuffy.'"

"Who the _fuck _is a '_smuffy'_ and what the hell is a lemon?" Hiei barked out, annoyed by Yusuke's stifled giggles in his ear.

"Maybe we should click the link, Hiei?" Botan prodded, giving him the most curious gaze with her electric-purple eyes. Relenting, he poked at the damnable object he was sure was about to royally fuck up his life.

Botan and Hiei began to read. Unfortunately, Botan had the occasional need to read out loud, it seemed.

_"'Oh Hiei, Hiei, Hiei', the ferry girl began a breathy mantra of his name and it was sweet to his ears. He gently moved his finger over that spot, forward and back. In response, he felt Botan's teeth clench the flesh just under his ear lobe between them. His head began to feel muddled. His breathing came more rapidly, strained, and he lost all inhibitions; forgetting his tightly-wound restraint, forgetting his earlier hesitations – his very being was lost in these sensations – the sensations of her heated chest pressed against his own, her mouth working frantically at his neck. Botan's musky smell, the half-finished whispers and gasps of his name, the feeling of warmth and wetness spreading over his fingers as he continued to stroke her in alternating rhythms of fast and slow; long and hard…"_

By now, the whole group was watching them and had fallen silent. Except for Yusuke, that is, who began to veritably howl at the dazed expressions on the pair's scarlet faces. Hiei glared over at him - not finding the situation very funny at all - though unfortunately for him, the rest of the cast also did not agree. Everyone started to participate in the laugh-fest at their friends' expense to some degree, and Botan, who had turned as purple as her eyes, covered her face and squeaked like a little mouse who had been caught by a hungry cat.

Hiei's mouth worked frantically, but his muddled mind could not think of any reply. He looked back and forth between the uproarious group and the embarrassed woman at his side, deciding he didn't take to embarrassment all that well.

So he decided not to be.

"Fuck this", he muttered, pushing past a frozen Botan and slamming an empty glass upon the table. Startling the group into silence, he asked of them:

"You all think this is funny?"

No one answered, though Kuwabara nodded his head with much enthusiasm.

Leaning in real close, pointedly staring at Botan who was peeking at him through slightly parted fingers, he dropped his drunken voice real low and husky. _The alcohol has to be doing this to me, _he reasoned to himself before continuing.

"Well I don't find it funny. Not very funny at all." He paused dramatically, his gaze burning and locking into place with Botan's, "But I think the writer of that 'lemon' might have been on to something." Cocking an eye brow at the now somehow _brighter _face of his co-worker, he dropped his share of the tab upon the table and simply sauntered out of the pub.

It was Yusuke, with another chuckle, who broke the silence this time.

"Damn, Botan...I think I just helped get you laid!"


	4. Dirty

_**4. Dirty**_

Sometimes Hiei would return to the human world to spar with Yusuke, Kurama, or even Kuwabara. These duels would take place at Genkai's temple, under her hawkish supervision. Often, the girls would come along to watch and hoot and cheer and make all around too much noise for Hiei's liking, but he tolerated it simply because Yukina seemed to have fun with them.

Naturally, after a particularly rigorous session, their clothing would get sweaty and soiled. Much to everyone's annoyance Yusuke tended to strip down to everything but his boxers right then and there, zipping off to the beach and into the ocean. Keiko would huff and sigh but take his clothing to be cleaned anyway. Kurama would head into the temple along with Genkai to tend to himself, and the oaf would pester a confused Yukina until Shizuru smacked him upside his head and told him to wash his own damned filth, which made Hiei think maybe some humans had uses after all.

And when everyone else had retreated, it left only Hiei and the blue-haired woman. The first time, he hadn't even noticed she was still there, she was so uncharacteristically quiet. So he didn't hesitate in stripping off his shirt and begin working on his belts, only to be interrupted by a quiet squeak. His head shoots up then, brows knitted heavily together, red eyes widened and glowing like coals in the dusk, this fierce glare complete with his trademark scowl. The ferry woman has her hands clasped together in front of herself nervously, but the awkward silence makes her fingers begin to idly pull at the threads of her cut-off jean shorts.

Hiei relaxes the tiniest bit, at least relieved to see it wasn't someone like the oaf's sister watching him, or worse, his _own _sister. In fact, he was more than relieved - he was a little amused, made more so when he noticed her hands were like flighty birds - moving all over herself in nervous gestures such as tugging at her hair, tucking wayward strands behind her ear, or playing with the hem of her shirt. On more than one occasion, she succeeded in stilling her hands only to do something else equally silly and equally _her, _like bouncing upon each of her sandaled feet in turn.

After enduring a bit more of his intense stare, Botan finally opened her mouth to speak (although to say what, she had no idea - how could she justify herself in watching Hiei undress?), but he inadvertently saved her by cutting her off.

"What do you want?"

She crossed her arms and lips curved into a slight pout, but Botan realized she really didn't know how to answer. But again he saved her, with a question that she was definitely sure had to have been his attempt at humor.

"Did you want to take my clothes to wash, like Yusuke's woman takes his?"

Which Botan didn't find very funny at all. And, grinning a Cheshire-like grin, since she was sure Hiei wouldn't think it funny either if she told him yes, that's exactly what she did.

Smile still beaming on her face, she waited for his response. His blank face merely blinked back at her. Her grin started to dissolve into something a bit more nervous and agitated as he merely continued to stare, until his hands went back to his belts. And then her smile went completely askew, turning into a look of open-mouthed shock.

The ferry girl stood stock still as the demon's hands deftly and swiftly made quick work of his belts, and she didn't dare blink as he slid the loose pants down his legs too slowly (almost seductively? No, she quickly banished that thought from her naughty mind), stepping out of them and his shoes without shame.

But then all sorts of other naughty thoughts pervaded her head as the age old question of boxers or briefs was answered with:

_nothing._

Her mouth works frantically, trying to get something, _anything_ out (a protest? a question? appraisal?) as he tidily picks up his clothing and saunters confidently over to her. Smirking, Hiei shoves the laundry at her.

"Well, woman, they're quite dirty. So go wash them." And Botan automatically and mechanically takes the clothing from him, foolishly muttering out a thanks.

"You're welcome." He responds with a manic and almost feral grin that lights up his eyes in what Botan thinks is a beautiful fashion, and simply dashes, butt-naked, towards a different end of the water than Yusuke had gone. Botan is left standing with Hiei's laundry heaped in her arms, images of a very naked and very wet Hiei running rampant through her mind as Yusuke jogs back up to her.

"Hey Bo! Where did everyone go? And why are you holding the shrimp's clothes!?"

To which she can only respond, "D-dirty..."


	5. Fight

_**5. Fight**_

Visiting his sister proved to become a more difficult task by the week, for Hiei. Not because he thought she was beginning to suspect his true identity, and not even because Kuwabara's presence grated on him. No, it was a different oaf that seemed to enjoy tormenting his every waking (and sometimes sleeping) hour.

"Hiiiiiieeeeeeeei!" A sugary-sweet voice awoke him.

The ferry girl.

Perched upon a branch in the tallest of trees bordering Genkai's temple, Hiei didn't bother to respond or even bat an eye. In fact, he tried his damndest to ignore her very existence and resume his evening nap before taking off back to Makai, but the bluenette knew this game and just wasn't going to play it.

The demon's nose twitched as a peculiar scent wafted past and he lazily opened one eye, not surprised in the least to be greeted by a head of sky blue hair merrily bobbing up towards him.

"What is that repulsive smell emitting from you?" he asked, closing his eye once again, annoyed to find that vibrant shade of blue imprinted upon the black of his eyelids.

"Hiei! I take offense to that!"

"You were supposed to..." He muttered under his breath, realizing there was no point in arguing with her.

"And for your information, it's Old Spice! I took it from Kuwabara when he wasn't looking so I could smell all manly-man to get ready for our training session!" She informed him with an excited fist pump he couldn't see.

Against his will, a breath of a sigh escaped his lips as a hand moved to entangle itself in the unruly stands of his bangs peeking out from underneath his bandana. He wished nothing more than to be studiously ignoring the ferry girl and continuing on with his nap, but somehow the blue-haired witch always managed to wriggle her way past his carefully constructed walls of defense.

"What. Training. Session." He manages to grate out, all the while wondering why he hadn't simply left. When he received no answer, he opened his eyes to look in the direction of the smell attacking his olfactory sense. Had he been more the humorous type, Hiei would have fallen out of the tree in a fit of laughter at the sight that greeted him!

Hovering at eye-level, Botan sat astride her oar wearing an outfit nearly identical to the fire-demon's - white bandana strapped across her forehead (which, without a Jagan eye, he didn't see the point of her having), a black top that was entirely too loose on her slight form - so much so, that when the spring breeze ruffled the fabric, it revealed that she indecently chose to wear nothing underneath (Hiei hoped the heat he could feel rising to his cheeks at the peeks of her white globes he was getting wasn't visible), and comically large black pants tied at the top with a red belt.

"Our training session!" She repeated again. "I thought we could have a sparring match, you know, so I could learn to protect myself and help fight!"

Again, had Hiei been more light of heart, he would have found the whole thing adorable, especially with the gigantic, sheepish smile she also wore. Well, maybe there was a small part deep down inside that did find the bizarre affair just a little cute, but instead his lips curled into a snarl, replete with fangs and all.

"'_Our_' training session? You mean yours and the trees'? Because you'd have a better chance defeating it than anything else...though only slightly." He took a perverse satisfaction at the way her smile fell, and was even more excited at how quickly it recovered - denoting, as usual, that the unusually persistent woman wasn't going to give up. _This is, at least, more entertaining than napping._

"I don't think you're going to deny me, Hiei." His blood instinctively stirred at the tone of her voice - daring him to a challenge, secretive, ever so slightly husky. He pushed back against the trunk of the tree and moved himself into a more predatory position on his branch.

"And just why is that, meddlesome woman?"

That enticing grin widened further and to Hiei's surprise and confusion, she begins to slowly run her hands up and down along her sides, pulling the fabric flat against her womanly curves.

"Because...if we don't fight, how else are you going to get your shirt back?"

Burgundy orbs stare into violet, unblinking. After a long, uncomfortable silence broken only by the wind, the violet begins to waver and shift under the intensity of that other gaze, and Botan begins to slowly descend towards the ground. _M-maybe this wasn't the smartest way to try and get Hiei's attention..._

As Hiei remained rooted to the spot, staring at her with some emotion she was unable to decipher, Botan turned around and took the opportunity she thought she was being given to leave more hastily.

"Well if you're not feeling up to it, we can always reschedule our fight for later, eh? So I guess I'll be on my way...eep!" The ferry girl's voice trailed off into a squeak as she took a quick glance backwards, as Hiei began quietly counting down.

"3."

Botan quickly moved herself so that she was no longer sitting side-saddle to her oar, but straddling the handle with as tight a grip her thighs could muster.

"2."

She focused all her energy on willing her flight back to the temple faster, a thrilling anticipation welling up in her breast.

"_1!"_

She dared another look behind her, not surprised in the least to see Hiei's form - shadowed by tendrils of his dark power - flying towards her. What did surprise the ferry girl, however, was the smile on his face. It was predacious and maybe even slightly maniacal, but it was there nonetheless and _she _had been the one to make it so. Though any pride she felt was quickly forgotten as his form collided with hers mid-air, knocking the breath from her lungs and causing her to lose her grip on her oar's handle. It flew from her hands and clattered noisily to the ground before disappearing in a flash of reikai energy.

For a moment, Botan envisioned her body doing the same and her muscles immediately tensed in anticipation, but rather than feeling the hard ground rushing up to meet her, there in its place was a fire-demon's firm chest, his arms wrapped securely about her waist as he took the brunt of the fall.

There was little time for thanks however for nearly as quickly as they had landed, he flipped her around so that for the second time her breath left her with an unladylike "oomph" as her back harshly hit the grass. He wasted no time in straddling her hips, hands beginning to claw at the hem of her - his, shirt.

"Excuse you, grabby hands! You can't just take off a lady's clothing without permission; you are being quite _rude, _I'll have you know!" The ferry-girl tried her hardest to fend off the invasive attackers, despite the fact anywhere his fingers happened to graze against her skin elicited a warm, electric feeling.

"You're claiming _I'm_ the rude one after stealing someone else's belongings?!" He snarled through gritted fangs, while managing to successfully pin her flitting bird-hands to her sides. At that, the rouge that was previously staining her cheeks so prettily turned into a full-on scarlet blush and Hiei decided to let her speak, out of curiosity more than anything else. _There was no way he was at all enjoying the proximity of their bodies, right?_

"W-well you see, Hiei..." She trailed off shyly, and had he not been holding them hostage, the fire-demon could all too clearly imagine her fingers doing that inane twiddling they had penchant for.

"Spit it out, now." He pressed his body more firmly into hers, face hovering so close she could smell the scent of something akin to harsh cinnamon radiating from his skin, making her head swim.

"It's not _exactly _as if I stole it," she began again, making sure to look anywhere but his enthralling gaze. "Y-you just left one here at the temple once, probably after sparring with one of the boys or swimming at the beach? A-and Yukina found it and gave it to me...she wanted me to return it...s-so, that's what I was doing, see?"

Botan gave him her very _best_ endearing smile, the one even Koenma couldn't deny.

Hiei reared back ever so slightly, only to dip his head down and sniff at the garment in what Botan thought was a very animalistic - and somehow charming - way.

"Hn. I do smell Yukina on it; it appears you aren't lying. That's very fortunate for you." She began to sigh in a relief that was sadly cut short.

"However...I'm not feeling very nice today after my slumber was so rudely interrupted, so you're still going to get punished, idiot woman."

A heavy lump formed in her throat that she had trouble swallowing past. "H-how are you planning on punishing me...?"

"I'm just going to take my shirt back."

"Oh! Well then that isn't really so ba-"

"_Now_."

Hiei moved himself back so that his legs were straddling her only at the knees as he crossed his arms about his chest, giving her room to sit up and take his shirt off.

Botan went rigid as a board underneath him. Did he know what he was asking? She hadn't thought it would be an issue, but she chose to go bare underneath the shirt for easier movement, neglecting even chest bindings for maximum comfort. Did he know that? With what he was asking, he couldn't have...or could he?

With narrowed eyes, she examined the devilish smirk on his face. Oh, he knew. He just didn't expect her to comply. Well, she'd show him and his little 'punishment game'. A maiden of the underworld was no coward!

Watching with bemusement as she sat up and his expression dissolved into one of barely-concealed shock, she put on her best challenging glare (the one Shizuru called 'ultra sassy!') and ignoring how ridiculous the fact was that she had the infamous Flying Shadow sitting on her lap as she was about to take off a shirt that belonged to him nonetheless. She gripped the edges of its hems and oh-so-slowly began to lift.

Her face was deadly serious as the material rose and rose, now exposing just past her well-toned navel. Somehow his expression looked endearingly innocent, with his comically-widened eyes, as he watched it glide past her skin. "See, Hiei? We did end up fighting one another. This is a battle, too - a battle of wills."

But as his shirt finally left the bluenette's head, his gawking was soon replaced by one of open appreciation. Luckily for him, Botan opted to turn her head and look off into the forest, afraid of what she might see on his face - scorn? Or worse...ridicule?

Which means she missed the lust that darkened his gaze as it scanned her form; with her hands planted firmly on her hips her surprisingly ample bosom was made all the more prominent, the breeze dancing across the pert buds that topped them making them erect and deliciously tempting. _So very tempting._

His silence was completely unnerving her; fraying at her already damaged nerves. She was trying her best to keep her courageous front, but the fact of the matter still remained - _she had just stripped in front of _Hiei_, of all people!_ She decided to break it with a declaration:

"L-looks like I won this fight after all!"And at that, there came the evil cackling she had originally expected. It still stung her womanly pride, badly.

But yet again, the little imp surprised her that evening as the chills from being topless in the rapidly cooling air were replaced with his singing body heat: the fire-demon leaned back in - much, much closer than before - firm chest pressing up against her pliable own, hands resting dangerously close to the sides of her bare breasts, lips whispering hotly next to her ear. And with that, he gathered up his shirt and finally departed in a dash, though not before she was sure something which felt suspiciously like a calloused finger brushed against a nipple, sending tingles down her spine. She was left with his whisper running through her head to decipher:

"You idiot ferrywoman, it's definitely I who's won this fight's prize."

* * *

_**AN:** _I liked the idea of reversing Hiei and Botan's roles a bit from the last prompt, and thus came this! I also really like the idea of Botan attempting to badger Hiei into training her and may expand upon that idea sometime! As always, thank you for reading and I'm happy you've been sticking with me this far ^.^


	6. Mouth

_**6. Mouth**_

"Hah!" A beauty scoffs, blue ponytail flicking across her companion's nose as she whips her head to the opposite side. "The _only _thing your mouth is good for - Mister Hiei - is running off, and perhaps issuing death threats to Kuwabara."

Neither of them knew anymore how they had got to that point; how they had gone from working in opposite ends in a sudden, emergency mission from Koenma, to working as partners gathering intelligence. Neither of them knew anymore how they had gone from gathering intelligence, to sharing what started out as silent company in a Makai forest. Neither of them knew what had gotten them to actually begin a dialect with each other, or what had prompted Botan to question the uses of Hiei's mouth. And especially did neither of them know how Hiei had gone from sitting at the far side of the fire to sitting so close to Botan that she could see the dancing embers reflected in the whites of his eyes.

The fire that crackles in front of the duo casts an orange hue upon the demon's face, but it does not melt the blizzard that suddenly descends into his gaze. He casts that blizzard upon the unsuspecting Ferry Girl when she finally turns her had back to him, a little unnerved by his lack of rebuttal when he had been arguing with her so heatedly earlier.

"Wha-" she begins, but of course does not finish, as he swoops down upon her; every bit the flying shadow.

The kiss is not what she expected. It is not how she figured her first experience with kissing would play out, and further, it is not the sort of kiss she expected from _Hiei_ (and boy had she fantasized about it).

Suffice to say, Botan doesn't have any experience in describing kisses, but it's warm. It's definitely warm. Warm, slippery, and what she hadn't expected most of all: comforting. It's comforting because, as she can feel his strong lips move and slide against her own pliable ones, she feels his self-confidence in his abilities and yet also his hesitance in not wanting to push her too far. It's comforting when he darts tongue out to lick along her lips, asking admittance, and she gives it nearly immediately because it makes her feel like a woman - something no one had ever made her feel before.

His tongue traces hot, devastating circles in her mouth and she's just about gone mad and ready to tear off his clothes, her clothes, doesn't really matter, but just as sudden as he had descended, Hiei rears back and affixes her with his red gaze, a gaze that now had dark shadows of restrained passion dancing within it.

"My mouth is good for things a creature like you has only ever heard whispers of, had _dreams _about. My mouth could leave you gasping, moaning for your release as if your life depended on it; it could leave you begging and mewling like a starving kitten. My mouth could leave you a sopping wet mess whose own mouth would only be good for screaming my name until your throat is raw."

* * *

**AN: **Ehh, yeah, a quickie I know. It was an obvious prompt and I'm trying to keep myself to a schedule. Hope it still satisfies.


	7. Ink

**AN:****This one is quite a bit more serious in tone. As for the question from my latest lovely reviewer, I very well might expand upon the smutty themes, but I'll be sure to up the rating if the mood strikes.**_****_

7.** Ink**

Her blood was like ink.

He blinked, hoping his eyes were merely deceiving him, but alas. It was still there, running in thick, slow rivers along her skin.

It made its trail slow as molasses, spreading its fingers like an opening palm as it ran from an abyssal hole from her neck, struggling to ascend the miniature mountain of her collarbone.

The final light of the day was fading, and the evening sky began to dress herself in mourning colors; indigo so dark it was almost black, deep purples like the bruises forming underneath Botan's eyes, and tiny specks of diamond-starlight adorned her hair just like the tears that slid down Botan's cheeks. All things considered, Botan was still beautiful; in some ways, more beautiful in her sadness. And yet his eyes remained fixed on that ghastly, red parody of a smile on her neck, like a lopsided smile of a child putting on her mother's lipstick. Only the lipstick was _moving_ and Hiei had to remind himself it was not something so innocent at all, but blood, blood, so much blood.

A tiny movement drew his gaze above all that life that was death, and thick, kohl butterfly-lashes fluttered against the tops of Botan's cheeks as they struggled to open. Hiei moved closer with the intention of telling her to stop, although he didn't know why, not that any sound moved past the lump he found forming in his throat anyway.

Finally her eyes opened, and they were bright - so bright - the last light of her life dancing upon the pink pools of her irises to an unheard music. A tiny noise escaped her throat; so fragile and so unlike Botan, somehow reminding him of fallen feathers, as her hand shakily raises to grope at her wound.

Her blood was like an ink that told centuries' worth of stories of life, death, and rebirth as it spilled out from her body. It wrote her story for all to read upon the pale canvas of skin and belatedly he realized just how _much _she carried within her. How much he never allowed her to show him, how much he never let himself glimpse, what would now be lost to him forever.

How had he allowed this to happen? He had never been so careless in his life. Her presence had been a constant in the back of his mind as he fought off their attackers single-handedly, and everything seemed perfectly fine as the battle was wrapping up.

But then...faster than Hiei could have expected from such a low-class demon, he was there. Blade at her throat, death cry spilling from her lips, ink flowing down her perfect parchment-skin. In his shock, the rogue was allowed to escape.

Now he sank down to his knees and cradled her head in his lap, feeling bitter at the fact he never would have allowed such a tender act to happen between them before now. Before she was on the verge of death.

As her held her close and gently like a fragile doll, he felt his body becoming nothing more than a receptacle for the emotions he could feel rushing through his veins- a molten hot river that threatened to break the dam.

He had to shut his eyes, then, as the feather-light whispers of his name floated past his ears. Had to clench them tight as he bit down so hard on lips lest he do the unthinkable -

"Mister Hiei. Why are you crying?"

A skittish touch ghosts on his cheeks and was gone before the mind could register it. The first thing Hiei saw as he awoke was blue - and his heart spasmed painfully against his ribcage - before he could take note that this blue was lighter, icier. Yukina. There was a single drop of salted liquid pooled upon her finger and she examined it with the intensity and passion of a child.

Not far off from where the two siblings sat were the reikai tantei - all of them - the ferry girl with her face turned up towards the summer sun and looking impossibly, radiantly, alive.

"It was just a dream." Hiei answers too flatly.

_One I'll never let be written into reality. _


	8. Submission

_**8. Submission**_

"You belong with me."

Under the darkness of your covers, held in the security of your lovers' arms, these words are whispered in your ears. They may send a shiver down your spine or they may warm the deepest recesses of your heart, but for most, they are the defining words of an intimate relationship.

But not with...us.

The window is open. A shaft of pearly moonlight casts a strange pattern upon the cool satin sheets, seeming to give our little sanctuary underneath an ethereal glow. Said sheets rustle with the faintest hint of movement, and a sound follows, floating on the wind to mix and mingle with the other sounds of midnight outside.

That sound is the breathy gasp of my voice, straining to remain silent but failing. It rises in its crescendo until it's replaced by throaty moans, and it takes me a few seconds to realize those moans belong to me as well. If I knew the pale flesh of my body wasn't already flushed to a deep crimson, a crimson that paled in comparison to that of my lovers' eyes, I'm sure it would have been at the noises his fingers and tongue were eliciting from mouth, my throat.

Even after all this time, he still made me feel bashful; he still made me feel as if I were an innocent, he still somehow made me feel...beautiful.

In moments like these, my world is consumed by him; the fires of passion licked around my vision, dizzying, until all was reduced to nothing but the pinprick glowing of his eyes, the red and the black that was the essence of him.

In these moments I...

A soft growl rumbles in his throat, reverberating through my shoulder as he continues to play with the junction between my neck and shoulder - first using lips and mouth to suck in the flesh; tracing a slow, wet circle with his tongue, and then nipping on the reddened flesh with his fangs. He has an uncanny ability to tell when he doesn't have my undivided attention...I wonder if it's a demon thing, or something that's all him?

All thoughts are quickly banished from my mind, however, when he leans up, sheets rustling down to pool at his hips. A chill licks its way across my bare skin as a smirk graces his devilish features and I feel a trail of heat run along the outside of my left thigh. And I do not mean this in the poetic sense, no. The little demon had tapped into his youkai powers to literally heat up his digits and was currently running them tantalizingly slow against my flesh. He runs his middle finger down, down to the underside of my knee, over it, and back up again; this time on the inside of my leg.

Those breathy little pants he seems to love making me emit start up again in my throat and my eyes slowly slide to a close. But he won't have any of that, no. The heat of his fingers becomes a little too hot, and I let loose a different sort of gasp, my eyes shooting open indignantly to meet his intense glare.

"Look at me." Hiei does not often speak much during our trysts, so when he does, I know whatever he says he absolutely means.

I nod my head shakily as the small pain recedes, replaced by that delicious warmth of his youkai energy once again. He grins, more a lop-sided smirk than anything, really, and his warm, warm hand continues its venture up my leg. It becomes hard to keep my eyes open as his own bore into them, so alert and fervent. It's more than a little embarrassing to have him watching my face so openly, and my body's natural reaction to the surprisingly gentle circles he was tracing along the fabric of my underwear was to close my eyes in bliss once again, so I opt to gripping the sheets instead.

The look in his eyes - it's a look I'll never, ever forget in a millennia. A look that haunts my soul as much as that of the lost souls I ferry nearly every day. A look that would surely ignite the iciest of hearts from even the fiercest of demons, so how is a ferry girl with a heart as fluttering and pliable as a newborn bird supposed to stand up to him when he sets it alight?

"I'm looking." I almost wince as the words tumble out. He doesn't much like me talking during our time together which, for once, suits me just fine. That fluttering-bird heart of mine is pounding against my ribcage

He made no other move to touch me, did not even lean in closer to me, only kept his hand right where it was doing such sinful things to me, alternating the rhythm of his fingers against my nether regions between hard and slow lines, and light and fast circles. But I can see through his body's indifference as the sparks in his gaze blaze brighter and brighter.

Somehow, watching him _watch me_ only intensified the pleasure of his contact even more and soon enough, my wretched voice betrayed me once again and the room was filled with yet another symphony of my pants, gasps, and strained groans.

"Say my name."

My eyes widen into saucers that surely would have been comical in any other situation upon hearing him speak _twice _in one night, and my heart just about skips a beat as the absurdity of the request registers in my pleasure-dulled mind. His fingers stop their wicked dance against me, instead moving to hold my right thigh in a warm, fierce grip as he waits for my submission.

Somehow I felt like giving into this...demon, would be akin to thrusting myself into the hottest pit of hell. And yet, the warmth he gave me didn't frighten; it was titillating, pleasurable, and the look in his burning eyes promised heaven - I need only ask for it.

In the end, it was not terribly hard to slip off the veneer of my ferry-girl innocence, not so terribly difficult at all to acquiesce to his demanding, unholy will. Slowly I trace my tongue tentatively around the edges of kiss-swollen lips - and dare I dream the desire in his eyes flares just a little bit brighter? - and let myself fall.

"_Hiei_."

There is only the briefest of seconds before he pounces on me; a whirl of possessive growls, heated digits, and nips of fangs. But in that moment he lets me glimpse something in that red-wine gaze - the alleviation of fear and doubt. And it is in that moment that I realize the idea of "submission" is not such a one-way street after all, for I only have the power to give myself to the one I choose.

"_You belong to me, Botan_."

In the darkness of our sanctuary, held in his strong arms, and encompassed by feral growls...I gladly accept that.


End file.
